Apparatus for the linear measurement of strip materials



March 30, 1937. v. MAZZUCCHELLI 2,075,400

APPARATUS FOR THE LINEAR MEASUREMENT OF STRIP MATERI [AL Filed Feb. 11, 1933 anion VITTORIO MAZZUCCHELLI- dfttorneys Patented Mar. 30, 1937 PATENT OFFICE APPABATUSFOB THE LINEAR IMEASUBE- MENT OF STRIP MATERIAL Vittorio Mauucchelli, Milan, Italy Application February 11, 1933, Serial No. 656,296 In Italy February 19, 1932 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring out the lengths of products of machines when the product is to be delivered in determined lengths.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a known revolution counter with means for measuring any desired length of product-with most suitable approximation to the actual required length and within the nearest possible limits.

Another object is to provide means of the character indicated which may nevertheless be used for other purposes than for revolving counters.

In the British Patent No. 353,142, granted to the applicant July 23, 1931, a type of counting and measuring apparatus is disclosed comprising rings, each of which is fitted with a tooth or cam-like projection which, acting on corresponding levers, are adapted to effect the freeing, in

predetermined manner, of snap drums designed for operating separate devices for stopping the machine and for giving a premonitory signal.

In the said British patent, the position of the teeth on the corresponding rings can be altered in two difierent ways therein described, viz. either by screwing the tooth into one or the other 'of the several holes provided in the counting drum rim, or by fixing the said tooth to an auxiliary ring which, in turn, is rendered fast with the main ring in a suitable position.

The mentioned rings and teeth or projection form part of what may be termed a disengagement system, and the features thereof will be fully disclosed hereinafter.

Specifically the present invention involves a modified form of the said disengagement system, and provides means rendering it easily and readily possible to alter the position of the mentioned teeth on the corresponding rings with re 40 spect to the drums of the counter.

The accompanying drawing illustrates said modification as made according to the present invention, by way of example only.

Figure 1 is a view of 'a counting drum equipped 45 with the present invention, shown in partial section.

Figure 2 is a vertical central section of the apparatus of Figure 1, taken on line V-VI of said Figure 1, with the assumption that the teeth 50 on the rings lie in radial alignment withthe bolts adapted to render the said ring fast with a coaxial side projection of the counter drum.

Figure 3 is a side view, partly in section, of a counting mechanism wherein the present inven- 55 tion may be applied so as to control said mechanism, a casing for said mechanism being shown.

Throughout the views the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts.

In the practice of my invention a revolution to counter is preferably employed of the type in which a set of coaxial cylindrical numeral wheels or counting drums are provided. Each drum may have the usual spaced ciphers or numbers from 0 to 9 inscribed on its outer periphery, although said numbers are not shown in the drawing as being superfluous to illustrate.

The mentioned drums or numeral wheels are interconnected by means of gear wheels in a known manner such that each complete revolution of one numeral wheel corresponds to onetenth of a revolution of the next adjacent wheel. The numeral wheels are so arranged that, if the ciphers in the first wheel or wheels of the set represent a fraction of a unit, the ciphers of the following wheels represent the units, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc., respectively. More specifically, the present apparatus is connected by means of a suitable gear train, as mentioned, to the cylinder of a machine from which the 'product may be unwound in order to be measured out in definite predetermined units. Naturally the gear ratio of said gear train will determine the extent of periphery of the unwinding cylinder represented by the counting unit.

Now while the features just mentioned are well known and not necessary to be illustrated, it is in connection therewith that the present apparatus embodying the invention is intended to be used and the said gear ratio can always be designed in such a manner that the counter units (or fractions thereof, when it. is found convenient that unit fractions should be indicated) shall be so small as to attain any desired approximation in the measurement of the product length, whatever the length may be.

The sensitiveness of the apparatus can therefore be made to suit the varying requirements and is represented by the values chosen for the apparatus unit or unit fraction.

The operation of measuring the unwound length of product consists in counting how many times the unit is repeated; the measure is given by the product: counter revolutions multiplied by the value of the counter units.

The latter value may therefore be called 'counter co-efilcient".

Similarly, the lengths to be unwound, for which the counter has to perform the functions above specified, are determined by fixing the number of revolutions which the counter has to accomplish, this number being obtained by dividing the length by the counter co-eflicient.

The measurement is controlled ultimately by the presence of a cam in the form of a tooth adjustably connected to each counting drum and to the particular position of said cam or tooth with respect to such counting drum.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, on a coaxial cylindrical projection 10 of the revolving counting drum A two rings i, I are freely mounted. The rings I, I are separated by a circular flange I6 which is revolvably mounted on the said cylindrical projection I0. In the outer periphery of each ring I a series of spaced notches I5 is cut, whilst from a point of said periphery projects a tooth 2. The drawing (Figure 2) shows only two rings I mounted on said projection I0, but on this projection as many rings I as desired may be mounted. In the inner periphery of each ring I, a series of ratchet wheel teeth I4 are cut.

In the said cylindrical projection I0 of the counting drum A two radial recesses I3, 13 are provided into each of which a bolt II, II is arranged to radially slide.

Springs 12, 12 arranged in said recesses I3, 13 urge outwardly the bolts II, II in order to compel these latter to engage each a tooth ll of a corresponding series of ratchet wheel teeth, so as to render the rings I, I body fast with the said cylindrical projection I0 and consequently with the counting drum A.

By pushing with a suitable tool (a pin, for example) engaged in one of the notches 15 provided in the outer periphery of the rings I, I in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 3, these rings can be moved through 5th of a turn at each step, because the inclined surfaces of the teeth '14 press the bolts II, II inwardly against the action of the springs I2, I2. The angle and curvature of the teeth 14, I4 are so designed that the bolts II, II are lowered and cleared, whereafter the rings move forward till the peripendicular surface of subsequent teeth are reached.

At this time, the bolts 1 I, II snap into place and lock the rings in the position they have attained relatively to the counting drum A, unless the operation be repeated until a further desired position is reached, and at which the teeth 2, 2 have to act on levers 4 controlling by means of snap drums 6 (Figure 3) the various mechanisms adapted to effect corresponding functions (stop of the counter, suitable signals, and so on).

Obviously the direction of rotation in which the teeth 2, 2 are intended to act on the lever 4 of Figure 3, is opposite to the direction in which the ring must be pushed in order to alter the looking position.

As may be noted in the drawing (Figure 3) the drum 6 with the spindles, by rotation thereof, makes it possible to put into action suitable devices for bringing to a standstill the machine, or for operating premonitory signaling devices.

This arrangement renders it possible to provide even more than two counting snap devices for other purposes in addition to those already contemplated.

With the arrangement above described and illustrated in the drawing, one ring I serves for operating the snap drum of the automatic stop device and the other ring I serves for operating the other snap drum 6 designed for giving a premonitory signal.

As hereinbefore stated to each counting drum A more than two rings I may be used in order to obtain, in addition to the above said two functions any predetermined signaling as desired.

The arrangements hereinbefore described render it practical, first, to re-charge all the snap drums B of the stop and signaling devices simultaneously and with the same hand-revolving of the drums of the counter in order to re-set them to 0 before undertaking the delivery of a predetermined length, and second, to make such stop or signaling devices of such a kind that the machine cannot be re-started to motion before the counter is reset to 0.

It is obvious that in the system above described and illustrated in the drawing, the snap drums 5 operating the stop and signaling devices may be arranged as well on separate parallel axes as on coaxial axes.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. Linear measuring apparatus of the rotary type for strip material, comprising, in combination with a substantially conventional revolution counter adapted to be operated from a machine by which the strip material is handled, a counting drum, :3, ring coaxially mounted on the hub of said counting drum, there being signaling and stopping devices, a tooth projecting from the outer periphery of said ring and adapted to selectively operate said signaling and stopping devices, means adapted to yieldingly lock the said ring to the hub of the counting drum and allowing the ring to be rotated only in one direction with respect to the hub on which it is mounted and preventing rotation in a reverse direction, comprising a series of spaced saw-teeth cut in the inner periphery of said ring, a bolt slidable in a radial recess provided in the hub of the counting drum, a spring arranged in said recess and tending to urge the said bolt into engagement with one of the inner saw-teeth of said ring, and spaced notches cut in the outer periphery of the ring which may be engaged by a tool in order to rotate the ring with respect of the counting drum so as to vary the position of the tooth operating the signaling and stopping devices.

2. Linear measuring apparatus of the rotary type for strip material, comprising, in combination with a substantially conventional revolution counter adapted to be operated from a machine by which the strip material is handled, a plurality of coaxially arranged counting drums having individual hubs, a plurality of revolvable rings coaxially mounted on the hub of each of said counting drums, there being signaling and stopping devices, a tooth projecting from the outer periphery of each of said rings, said teeth serving to selectively control said signaling and stopping devices in succession, and means adapted to yieldingly lock said rings to the respective hubs of the counting drums so as to allow the rings to be rotated only in one direction with respect to the hub on which they are mounted and prevent rotation in a reverse direction, said latter means comprising a series of spaced saw-teeth cut in the inner periphery of each of said rings, a plurality of radial recesses cut in the hub of each of said counting drums in a number which equals the number of rings mounted on said hub, a slidable bolt and a spring both arranged in each of said recesses, each spring tending to urge one of said bolts into engagement with one of the inner saw-teeth of a corresponding ring, and spaced notches cut in the outer periphery oi each ring which may be engaged by a tool in order to rotate the ring with respect to the counting drum so as to vary the position of the tooth operating the signaling and stopping devices.

VI'ITORIO MAZZUCCHELLI. 

